Iowa Democrat Theresa Greenfield raked in a record $28.7 million for her Senate bid in the third quarter of 2020.
The haul, the highest amount in any quarter for an Iowa Senate candidate, helped send her into October with more than $9 million cash on hand in her challenge to Sen. Joni Ernst (R). Ninety-five percent of Greenfield’s contributions in the third quarter were $100 or less.
“This record-shattering haul is more proof that as Iowans begin early voting, they’re ready for change in the U.S. Senate,” said Greenfield spokesperson Izzi Levy. “While Senator Ernst struggles to defend her failed record of selling out Iowans for her corporate PAC donors, Theresa’s grassroots momentum continues to grow — all without accepting a single dime from corporate PACs.”
“From now through November 3, Theresa is going to continue competing for every last vote in every corner of the state by listening to Iowans and focusing on the issues that matter most, whether it’s expanding access to affordable health care, protecting Social Security, creating more good-paying jobs, or getting us through this pandemic.”
Ernst has not yet released her third quarter numbers, though she had $9.1 million in the bank at the end of the second quarter.
Ernst is one of several GOP senators whose seats Democrats are looking to flip this cycle, and polls show the race is highly competitive.
Greenfield has a 5-point lead in the RealClearPolitics polling index and hasn’t trailed in a survey since early August. Polls also show former Vice President Joe Biden running neck and neck with President Trump in Iowa, indicating the state is competitive up and down the ballot.
Iowa is certainly no sure thing for Democrats, however. President Trump won the Hawkeye State by 9 points in 2016 after its voters went for Barack Obama in both 2008 and 2012.
Iowa’s Senate race is just one of several Democrats are pressing to win, with the party working to unseat Republicans in states including Arizona, Colorado, Maine and North Carolina. Democrats need to flip three or four Senate seats this year, depending on which party wins control of the White House, to win a majority.
Democratic challengers have fueled Republican concerns over the GOP’s grip on the Senate with hefty fundraising hauls. Cal Cunningham, the Democrat challenging North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis (R), hauled in $28.3 million in the third quarter of 2020, though Cunningham is now facing a scandal over an extramarital affair. Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) also raked in $22.6 million last quarter in his bid to unseat Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.).
The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election handicapper, rates the Iowa Senate race as a “toss-up.”